Jason Saunders and Paul Snow-Hansen (NZL) 470 Men on Day 3. Image copyright Jesus Renedo/Princesa Sofia/MAPFRE.
by Jodie Bakewell-White
The ISAF World Cup Regatta for Olympic classes on in Spain is now past the halfway mark with qualifying rounds complete and three days of racing left to determine the medals.
Seven of the NZL Sailing Team entries are currently lying inside the top ten of their respective fleets and well in contention to secure a spot in their medal race with a shot at the podium.
Jo Aleh and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher remain the best placed of the kiwis in third overall in the 40-strong Women’s 470 event.
Overnight results for Aleh and her stand-in crew Barbarich-Bacher, weren’t as good as on opening days, and they slipped one spot, however on 27 points they are in touch with the Israelis in second and ten points clear of fourth.
Tom Ashley (pictured) continues to climb through the standings gaining five places overnight and moving up into fourth overall.
The reigning Olympic champ placed fifth and third on the water and is able to now discard his worst race from his total points. Dorian van Rijsselberge of the Netherlands, who competed in New Zealand this summer, currently has the lead from Britain’s Nick Dempsey.
Sara Winther, the NZL Sailing Team’s Laser Radial representative, last night found the form she was looking for with two race wins. Her clean sweep on day three of the series sees her rocket from 17th position up to sixth in the standings. With 27 points she is now just five shy of third place.
Andrew Murdoch is once again footing it with the world’s best lying fifth in the large Laser event which transitions now from qualifiers into gold, silver and bronze fleets. A second and a third in racing overnight shows up Murdoch as the most consistent of the five New Zealand Laser sailors at this event – in six races sailed so far his worst result is a sixth place.
Meech, Maloney and Bullot are all within reach of a Laser medal race spot currently lying 10th, 11th and 13th respectively. Paul Goodison (GBR) and Tom Slingsby (AUS) are out in front.
Finn sailor Dan Slater reports on day three: “Today I opened the racing with a 20th and after a great start just got on the wrong side of the course on the first beat. The second race which was in 12 knots I sailed well and finished 5th and maybe if I hadn't been as conservative It would have been a second. Overall now I'm in 6th place.”
The Women’s Match Race crew of Stephanie Hazard, Jenna Hansen and Susannah Pyatt are one step closer to securing a quarter finals berth, by winning three races against Russia, the Netherlands and Spain in last night’s repecharge round robin. Two more wins tomorrow will put them into the top eight and in the hunt for a medal.
Racing resumes late evening Thursday (New Zealand time) with live updates and race news available from the regatta website. Another three days remain; the regatta finishes in Spain on Saturday April 9th.
New Zealand’s current standings after day three
Men’s RS:X (66 entries)
4th Tom Ashley
18th Antonio Cozzolino
Laser Radial (78 entries)
6th Sara Winther
Women’s 470 (49 entries)
3rd Jo Aleh and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher
Men’s 470 (84 entries)
13th Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders
Finn (83 entries)
6th Dan Slater
39th Matt Coutts
Women’s RS:X (33 entries)
29th Stephanie Williams
Laser (127 entries)
5th Andrew Murdoch
10th Sam Meech
11th Andy Maloney
13th Mike Bullot
62nd Josh Junior
Women’s Match Racing
Koru Match: Stephanie Hazard, Jenna Hansen and Susannah Pyatt (Repecharge round robin: 3 wins/0 losses)
Coaches Mark Howard, Mark Orams, Nathan Handley, Hamish Wilcox and Dave Robertson are supporting the New Zealand sailors at Trofeo SAR Princess Sofia MAPFRE Regatta.
Yachting New Zealand
Trofeo Princesa Sofia MAPFRE
